Located on the second floor of designer
Cynthia Rowley’s townhouse store,
CuRious Candy is as much about creating
a wonderland as it is about the candy. The
bramble-lined townhouse entryway leads
to a staircase adorned with a fantastical
mural. Upstairs, shoppers are greeted by
a white peacock on a leafless tree. Candy
is available individually packaged as well
as on shelves lined with display drawers. Edible tableware and beautiful packaged favors round out the offerings in
this spot that feels inspired by both Alice
in Wonderland and Willy Wonka, yet all
its own.

Normal150 W. 22nd St.

The ability to offer in-store customizationmay be music to some retailer’s ears, butthis brand has combined it with technol-ogy that’s been getting a lot of buzz—3Dciates or take ear selfies, and custom ear-buds are printed for pickup at the store orhome delivery.

RH New York935 Broadway

In June, Restoration Hardware opened
its newly expanded space in Manhattan’s
Flatiron District. Housed in a 19th century building, the 30,000-sq.-ft. store now
has three floors. The staircase is lined with
antique mirrors and custom-designed iron
handrails inspired by Carlo Scarpa, the
late Venetian architect. The Gallery features many items from their new furniture
collections, including items from the RH
Small Spaces Source Book, which are great
for urban apartment dwellers. Trickling
fountains and garden decor on the third
floor inspire shoppers looking to outfit gardens and roof decks with items from the
RH Outdoor Source Book.

Topshop/ Topman608 Fifth Ave.

Opening in a landmark building adja-cent to Rockefeller Center this month,this 40,000-sq.-ft. flagship store will bethe retailer’s second largest flagship storein the world after its iconic flagship inLondon’s West End. The Art Deco detail-ing of the building’s upper floors transi-tions to a contemporary style on the lowerfloors. A two-level wraparound windowdisplay maximizes merchandising on thewell-trafficked street corner. This locationwill focus on Topshop’s higher-end mer-chandise, competing with nearby upscalemerchants.

Valentino693 Fifth Ave.

In August, Valentino’s 20,000-sq.-ft. U.S.

flagship store opened on Fifth Avenue with
a revamped façade and 650 tons of Italian
marble within. While it’s designed after a
palazzo with Venetian terrazzo walls and
mosaic floors, the merchandise displays
are minimalistic and focus shoppers on the
clothing and accessories. A handbag display
on the first floor is particularly notable,
with 39 floating shelves each presenting a
single handbag in a gallery-like presentation. Fitting rooms are spacious, a boon for
aspirational shoppers.

In June, Restoration Hardware opened its newly expanded space in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. Housed in a 19th century building,

the 30,000-sq.-ft. store has three floors.

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Heather Cross,

heather.s.cross@gmail.com,
is a freelance writer covering
New York City.

Half of 40 people posing as mannequins atGap’s Midtown flagship were handcuffed in April.

Once it was determined they were no threat,
however, the mannequin mob was released.

Rents for permanent retail space aren’t

all that’s costly in N YC. A permit for a hot dog
stand in Central Park can cost over $289,000.

But flouting permit laws have consequencestoo—the city’s 20,000 or so street vendorsare issued more than 40,000 tickets a yearand account for some 10,000 arrests.